Scanner Antenna Analyzer Suggestions

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N9JIG

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I am looking for suggestions on a decent antenna analyzer that works from 25 thru 960 MHz. without breaking the bank or requiring a mortgage.

I could accept one that starts at 108 MHz. if needed due to the dearth of low band out here.

I see a bunch of various units from the Far East on Amazon but don't know enough about them to really make a smart decision.

Suggestions?
 

jonwienke

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The Nano VNA units are pretty much all the exact same thing with maybe minor cosmetic differences from different sellers. This is the flavor I got, updated to cover to 1.5GHz (mine stops at 900MHz):

It goes down into the audio frequency range if needed.
 

mmckenna

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Yeah, NanoVNA is a pretty good deal.
It's not perfect, but it works well enough. There's an Android interface that makes usage a bit easier. I found the small touch screen hard to use. For occasional use, it's hard to beat. Works 'well enough' for hobby use. There are some good tutorials on line/YouTubes to help you learn it.
 

ladn

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The Nano VNA and it's clones is the best choice. They usually ship with SMA fittings, so you'll need a set of adapters for whatever antenna connections you use. There's a forum on groups.io with a lot of information and software. I haven't tried the Android interface that @mmckenna mentions, but I do use mine with a laptop.
 

iMONITOR

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I am looking for suggestions on a decent antenna analyzer that works from 25 thru 960 MHz. without breaking the bank or requiring a mortgage.
Suggestions?

Talk ScannerMaster into carrying them so you can get an employee discount! :cool:
 

John_S

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Been using the H4 version for a little while now....very slick tool once you get thru the basic learning curve. Look for TheSmokinApe video on Youtube to get started. There's even some neat freeware to go with it...NanoVNASaver. Got mine from R&L...best 60 bucks I've spent in a while. NANOVNA NANOVNAH4
 

vagrant

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I purchased the N2061SA (1MHz - 1.3GHz) two years ago on Amazon. It has worked very well for me for when analyzing antennas, filters and much more as it also offers the S21 port, but you may not need that. I believe it was $280 at the time. Still, it does not compare to a multi-thousand dollar analyzer/generator, or even a $1300 analyzer. Basically, it works well enough for most everything ( hobby stuff ) but not BpBr duplexers.

Hmm...there's this one, PS200, but it says 35 MHz - 2.7 GHz everwhere, but on the device itself it clearly says 137.5MHz - 2.7GHz. Ehhh...it's Amazon Prime, so if it does not operate to spec just return it, or keep it. I'm not sure if this one also has various plot screens like the model above. I hope so as it is quite helpful for limited sweeps say 400 - 450 MHz, etc.
 

driven

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I just got a mini 600. Lots of features but no manual. Working on figuring it out.
 

rgchristy

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I've narrowed it down to the Nanovna-H, -F or the V2. If I've read it correctly, the V2 has the most scanning points, but I like the idea of the 4.3" screen, because I would have difficulty reading the 2.8". Like Rich I don't need to go above 960 MHz. I don't need to go below 108 MHz. I've read that the gecko versions are unreliable. I watched YouTube videos and did a search here. Any thoughts please?
Thanks, Rich
 

morfis

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Someone mentioned the bulletin boards on groups.io -

well worth having a read as the screen size on the cheapest of these Chinese (am I allowed to say that on a US bulletin board?) need not be the limiting factor given that they can be changed for larger ones.
 
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